Yasmany Figueroa Chaviano, a doctor in Optometry and Vision Sciences residing in Santo Domingo, Villa Clara, broke the silence to show the world what the Cuban dictatorship prefers to hide: a healthcare professional with three university degrees who is starving alongside his family.
The case is not new. At the end of June, Yasmany submitted a written testimony in which he described his situation with a rawness that is chilling: "I speak, or rather, I write also in my name: that of a Cuban professional who has already sold even his clothes and shoes to be able to eat, at least, once a day, because having breakfast is something we have not been able to afford for a long time."
This time, the video shared by journalist Javier Díaz from N+ Univision 23 Miami amplified that cry.
In it, Yasmany appears visibly worn and unrecognizable compared to his image in 2022, when he was working as a professional.
He lost 45 pounds in less than a month, dropping from 145 to just over 100 pounds. "And here I am, the shadow of what I used to be, truly emaciated, as you can see me, I'm not ashamed for you to see me like this," he declared in front of the camera.
Licensed in Optometry and Optics, with a master's in Pediatric Optometry and a doctorate in Optometry and Vision Sciences, Yasmany has been unable to practice his specialty for two years and survives by doing "any kind of decent, honest work, without hurting anyone," in his own words.
The situation of his family is equally devastating. His 93-year-old grandfather suffers from prostate cancer without pain medication and lacks the resources even to change the catheter.
Her mother suffers from panic disorders and epilepsy, uses a borrowed wheelchair, and also has a skin disease that has yet to be diagnosed.
His 65-year-old aunt suffers from mixed neurosis without treatment, as a single pill costs 120 Cuban pesos. To make matters worse, the family was arbitrarily stripped of their supply booklet.
Yasmany emphasizes that his situation is particularly desperate because, unlike thousands of Cubans, he does not have relatives abroad who can send him remittances.
"I urgently make a plea for help and for visibility regarding this case, because I know that the next news could be about the death of a family," he warned in his testimony.
The case is set against a systemic collapse that the regime can no longer disguise. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero acknowledged before the National Assembly that Cuba is going through "the most important and perhaps the most difficult" stage of its economic reforms.
Meanwhile, medical salaries in Cuba range between 7,045 and 8,880 Cuban pesos per month —equivalent to between 10.5 and 16 dollars at the informal exchange rate— while the basic basket for two people exceeds 41,000 pesos.
The hunger data on the island is alarming. The Food Monitor Program reported in June that 96.91% of the Cuban population lacks adequate access to food and that 33.9% of households had someone who went to bed hungry in the last 30 days.
The deaths from malnutrition recorded by the ONEI increased by 74% between 2022 and 2023, rising from 43 to 75 fatalities.
The municipality of Santo Domingo, where Yasmany lives, has been a frequent scene of complaints in 2026: power outages of up to 22 hours a day, lack of drinking water for weeks, and shortages of essential medications.
In June, another family from the same municipality reported that they were dying in silence due to the complete abandonment by the authorities.
Those who wish to assist Yasmany can contact him through the number published by journalist Javier Díaz: +53 5 9548228. The doctor himself, aware that individual help does not address structural issues, was emphatic at the end of the report: "What the island needs is freedom."
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